SUCCESS OF MUSIC WEEK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1059, 25 August 1930, Page 8

SUCCESS OF MUSIC WEEK

MUSICIANS, and the representatives ot' the various organisa- , tions that have played an active part in the affairs of Music Week, have every reason to be gratified with the results obtained. The week of campaigning and entertainment “to stimulate interest in music,” definitely lias been a success. This has been all the more apparent because, in this City, the period set aside for the national effort opened more or less quietly. But in a day or two, practical public interest became marked, and the seal of success was set on the week when Aucklanders showed real enthusiasm in the well-varied display of musical talent arranged for their benefit. It is safe to assert that, never before in a single week, have so many citizens thronged the Town Hall—a fact which proves, as Mr. Maughan Barnett said on Saturday evening, that “musicians need have no fears regarding the alleged decline of musical appreciation in the City.” Appreciation of music does not readily decline in any community whose intellectual standards are maintained.

To a large extent the success of Music Week in Auckland has been due to the work of an enterprising committee which was appointed to carry into effect proposals outlined by individual citizens. The scheme was first discussed publicly by The Sun, which approached representatives of prominent musical organisations and was assured of their hearty approval. We have taken pleasure in watching it develop to national dimensions and assisting by means of the fullest possible publicity. It must not be forgotten, however, that a campaign such as Music Week depends for its success entirely upon the goodwill and co-operation of all musical organisations and the public they depend upon for support. In this, the actual promoters of Music Week were particularly fortunate. The response from musical societies, individuals and schools, both public and private, left no doubt as to the wisdom of the proposal, and the worth of the programmes presented each day not only claimed the attention of that section known loosely as’“the music-loving public,” but brought before the community as a whole the admirable musical resources of Auckland’s societies and schools. In this newly-roused interest lies the greatest value of the campaign. The lessoiis of Music Week are plain and should be acted upon bv the societies concerned. Obviously, despite the popularity of radio and the gramophone, there is a demand for good concerts at regular intervals. The advantage gained by a focusing of public attention on Auckland’s organised musical activities should not be lost, and it would be a wise move to formulate more extensive programmes of similar worth. On musicians themselves depends the permanency or otherwise of the Music Week ideal.